Star Wars: Battlefront is an action shooter and the third main game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. It is considered a reboot of the franchise and it is set during the Galactic Civil War. Based on the Star Wars movies, it focuses on large-scale battles between Stormtroopers of the Empire and soldiers of the Alliance, rather than Sith versus Jedi. This approach is similar to the concept of the earlier games, but this title largely removes the single-player campaign in favour of more multiplayer modes, incorporating some elements of the Battlefield series the developer is known for.

The game was launched with maps based on four locations: Endor, Hoth, Sullust and Tatooine. In December 2015 two maps were added for free set on Jakku, a new location to coincide with the release of the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Unlike the Battlefield games it is not class based. Players choose a side and get to control soldiers, Snow Speeders, AT-ATs, X-Wings and Tie-Fighters in matches on large battlefields. Players choose between the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire for each game, with differences for the pick-ups and power-ups that are then available to each faction during matches. These provides auto-firing turrets or droids, a thermal imploder or vehicles. Hero pick-ups let players become famous Star Wars heroes such as Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Han Solo, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker for a short time, with unique abilities. There are also hero vehicles such as the Millennium Falcon and the Slave I.

Progress through the game is based on leveling up to access new weapons and unlocks that can then be bought with the in-game currency. Abilities can be customized through Star Cards. Up to three can be selected before starting a match and they provide abilities such as explosives, a shield or a jet pack. Some Star Cards have a cooldown, while others can only be used a few times. These Star Cards are accessible for both factions without restrictions. Similar to the Squad system in Battlefield, there is a partner system where two players can see each other on the map and use each other's weapon, even if they have not been unlocked yet for both players.

There are nine multiplayer game modes, supporting eight up to 40 players simultaneously. Blast is a classic team deathmatch mode for up to 20 players. Cargo is a capture-the-flag variant with cargo boxes. Droid Run for up to 12 players is about capturing and holding three GNK Power Droids. Drop Zone for up to 16 players is about controlling escape pods that crash down. Fight Squadron is a dogfight mode between air vehicles. Supremacy is a tug-of-war mode similar to Conquest in Battlefield. Players need to capture five control points and then a final one with a specific order. Walker Assault is an asymmetrical mode of Imperials with a giant AT-AT moving towards a rebel base. The rebels need to stop the advance by capturing points that make the AT-AT more vulnerable and calling in Y-Wing bombers. For the heroes in the game there is Heroes vs Villains and the asymmetrical Hero Hunt where one hero takes on seven regular troopers. The single-player portion consists of Missions that can optionally be played cooperatively. They contain wave based survival games, AI bot deathmatches (optionally as a hero character) and training missions.